In 2017, Ferran made her early appearances in three films; the costume drama
Tulip Fever, the romance drama ''
God's Own Country, and the historical drama Darkest Hour. That same year she made her television debut acting in three projects; the Netflix miniseries Guerrilla, the British series Jamestown, and the TNT historical fiction series Will''. In 2018 she acted in a
Rebecca Frecknall-directed revival of the
Tennessee Williams play
Summer and Smoke playing Alma Winemiller at the
Almeida Theatre.
Michael Billington of
The Guardian praised her performance declaring, that the production was built "around Patsy Ferran, who confirms her status as one of the most exciting actors on the British stage." For her performance she won the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. In 2019 she played
Björk in the
coming of age film
How to Build a Girl. The following year she played a
nun in the miniseries
Black Narcissus (2020). In 2022, she had a supporting role in the drama
Living starring
Bill Nighy. That same year, she returned to the theatre taking a leading role as
Blanche DuBois acting opposite
Paul Mescal as
Stanley Kowalski in the revival of the
Tennessee Williams play
A Streetcar Named Desire. For the production she reunited with director
Rebecca Frecknall. The play received positive reviews with critics praising her performance. Demetrois Mattheou of
The Hollywood Reporter noted, "[Ferran] joined the production just before it was to open...when
Lydia Wilson had to withdraw due to injury. The rescue act makes her heartbreaking, very individual performance even more remarkable." adding, "Ferran enthusiastically gobbles up Williams’ lines, capturing the wit of the wobbly flirt perfectly, accompanied by a dry, bitter self-knowledge". For her performance she was nominated for the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress losing to
Jodie Comer in the one-woman show
Prima Facie. She and Mescal reprised their roles at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2025. == Acting credits ==